On the subject of controversy in video games there has been an ongoing discussion for years about the visual style and costume design of the characters. Most notably, how they female characters in games tend to be objectified as sexual objects more than heroines. This is not mutually exclusive to female characters either. Often male characters in games tend to be muscle bound freaks of nature, or A typical fashion models with perfect hair.

I assume you mean exclusive, not mutually exclusive, but there's a major point here that you're missing. Women being depicted as sex objects is catering to men. Men being depicted as muscle bound freaks of nature is ALSO catering to men. One is a sexual fantasy for the purposes of male pleasure, and the other is a power fantasy for the purposes of male pleasure. Very recently there has started to be some shift, but historically and UNTIL very recently, video games have catered exclusively to men in one form or another.

Some would say that portraying characters in this way is harmful do to how people will view women after seeing it. I think it's fair to say that there is some merit to the argument, but the problem with the argument is that it assumes too much about a game's audience. It paints a picture that anyone who sees these images are going to start acting like a 12 year old boy seeing a playboy magazine for the first time.

Yes... who would possibly do that? The fact of the matter is that, just because, anecdotally, you think that you aren't affected by these depictions, doesn't mean that no one is. Reddit, which prides itself on being a more mature community, has posts like this one in which people talk about masturbating to the picture, or having sex with the mermaid. Obviously people DO become lecherous pigs when confronted with artwork like this.

There is another side of the discussion that I feel warrants mentioning. Where do we draw the line when it comes to peoples personal, moral compass and how it effects others around us? Should we be able to dictate to others what they should be allowed to show, or see? If I was to approach you and tell you that I no longer wanted you to read a certain book, or play a certain video game, because I find it offensive chances are you would not comply. You would be in the right.

So you're telling me that if there were a video game made that depicted black people as stupid, ignorant subhumans who went around talking about how much they love fried chicken and watermelon, that you would see absolutely no problem with it? That you'd argue it off as an artistic choice that's ok because "well it's just fantasy and everyone knows that's not what black people are actually like." I find that hard to believe. The argument you're making isn't actually about whether or not people have the right to find things offensive, it's about WHICH things people have the right to find offensive.

Someone is offended by the objectifying of a character in a game, but they don't bat an eyelash at games like Call of Duty which depict violent murder on an apocalyptic level and which also happens to be one of the greatest selling, most popular video game franchises of all time. Where does that morality go when they are gunning down people? The truth is it doesn't carry over into the real world. When we turn off the game we disconnect from that world and we don't get hung up on the bloodshed, or in this case the overly sexual nature of a character. We are smart enough to know that it is not reality.

First of all, there are plenty of people who DO strongly prefer non-violent games for that very reason. Second of all, there's not a problem in the gaming community with gamers going on random killing sprees, there IS a huge problem of sexism and misogyny. Can I definitively say that the sexism in the gaming community is caused by sexist depictions in video games? No, I can't. Can I say that it is highly probable that it is reinforced by them? Yes, I can. Look at the sheer rage that was induced by the lukewarm review of Dragon's Crown on Polygon. Rage over the fact that the female author of the article gave it a bad review in large part because she didn't like the art.

If Lara Croft was a portly, pimple scarred, teen with braces the sales of games she appears in would plummet. People wouldn't play the game, because they wouldn't want to be depicted as homely, and insecure. The same could be said of any popular video game character. If Mario and Luigi actually looked like the plumbers they are supposed to depict no parent would let their child play those games. For as much as people complain about it most people like playing a character who is a confident, bad ass stereotype.

This completely misses the point. Obviously most people want their video game characters to be portrayed as a "confident, bad ass stereotype," but the point is that the vast majority of female video game character ARE NOT portrayed that way. They are portrayed as sex objects.

On a closing note. If you are one of the people who don't want to see those things I have a simple solution for you. Don't play the game.

No one is telling you that you can't play any given video game, people are choosing not to play these games themselves, and they are being vocal about it. They're doing exactly what you want them do to, just not quietly. Does it really upset you that much?

I'm going to turn your final point around on you now

There will always be something to get offended by. It's all in how we choose to deal with those things that matter.

You're choosing to get offended that someone doesn't like the types of things you like. Perhaps you should rethink how you choose to deal with it.

In some ways I think you are over simplifying the point I am making. We all come from different backgrounds. We all take issue with different subjects in our lives. I will use your example of the, "video game made that depicted black people as stupid, ignorant subhumans who went around talking about how much they love fried chicken and watermelon"

I personally would find a game like that very offensive. Would I play that game? No. Would I tell others that they cannot play that game? No. I don't agree with it, but it is their choice to make. You seem to be implying that I would be okay with a game like that. You accuse me of missing the point, but it seems that in your rush to judgement you clearly missed the point I was making. I am not saying people have to accept things they find offensive. What I am saying is that they should respect the rights of others to choose the content they view for themselves. The last line of your comment tells me that you clearly did not understand this thread. At no point did I claim to be offended by anyone, or anything. You have made a lot of assumptions about me. None of which are based in reality. If you were trying to be condescending and insulting you succeeded. You obviously have a lot of emotional connection to this topic. The sad part is we probably agree more than you realize. I didn't write this thread with the idea in mind that I was going to start a fight with you. I simply put the idea out there to be discussed.

No, I'm making the assumption that you wouldn't be ok with a game like that. The analogy I'm drawing, is that to some people, a lot of the depictions of women in video games are similar to the depiction of black people I gave above, thereby illustrating the point of why people find so many video games so sexist and offensive. I think it's disingenuous to suggest that a game like that wouldn't stir up great public outcry against it, because it most likely would.

The point I'm making is that people WOULDN'T find it ok to have an overtly racist game because racism isn't ok, but that constant sexism in the gaming industry IS treated as ok, and is justified by the very arguments that you're making about respecting the "rights of others to choose the content they view for themselves."

No one is saying that you can't play the games you want to play. They're just saying that it's disgusting that some of these games are made at all.

I agree with this. It's a tough subject for me personally, because I feel strongly about persona freedoms, but also feel like there should be a line drawn at some point when it comes to indecency. If my post makes it sound as if I'm contradicting myself I guess in a way I am. I am very conflicted on this subject. What I mean when I say someone shouldn't play a game they find offensive is the same way I feel when telling someone they shouldn't eat peanuts if they have a nut allergy. If it's harmful to them they probably shouldn't be doing it.